TWO-HUNDRED and three lightning strikes were recorded on Wednesday night between Coleraine, Dunkeld, Condah and Minhamite, setting three blazes that were brought under control by CFA crews on Thursday morning.

Spotfires were lit in Buckley Swamp, Karabeal, Konongwootong and Hotspur, and several cropped up west of Digby and Dartmoor.

Buckley Swamp farmer, Hartley Nagorcka said lightning struck a large pine on his property.

He said it was 80 years and one week on from the blaze that wiped out dozens of homes between Hamilton and Dunkeld, setting the peat deep in the Buckley Swamp alight, a fire that would last the next two years and two months.

The fires came only a day after a large blaze destroyed a caravan and a shed at a property on Gallie Road, west of Coleraine.

CFA District 5 commander, Rainer Kiessling said the six crews and trucks that attended stopped the fire from spreading to a house after a presumed electrical fault in the shed started the blaze.

“If we hadn’t got there it definitely would have gone up,” he said.

“The fire was called in by the resident who noticed a fire burning in his shed as he came outside. He called the fire brigade and we immediately dispatched two urban brigades and two rural brigades, and that was to ensure there was adequate water and training for breathing apparatus.”

Tankers from Muntham, Carapook, Konongwootong, Hillgay, Coleraine and Casterton attended.

The fire’s fuel source was mainly paper, but old fuel cans and gas cylinders were in the mix as well, making the fire too dangerous to fight from the inside, and so crews drowned the fire externally.

It was a good reminder for property owners to investigate any old electrical equipment which could be a fire danger, especially wiring that may have become exposed.

Mr Kiessling said 2024 has had a “really unusual start to the fire season” due to unseasonably high rainfall.

“The way it is looking at the moment now, we will see less rain and all the extra fuel that has grown with the rain that we have had, will start to dry off right through February to March.”

CFA crews in Wannon were also called to investigate a campfire left unattended on Wednesday afternoon.

With fire activity intensifying, fire crews will be busier and easily preventable hazards can divert firefighting resources from attending other bushfires.

Without someone diligently looking after a fire, wind can easily spread flames among forests, so make sure to extinguish campfires with water until they are cool to touch before leaving.

“Whether you’re camping, walking, riding or driving, weekends are a great opportunity to discover beautiful parks, forests and reserves,” Grampians deputy chief fire officer, Jason Hellyer said.

“We want people to enjoy forests, but with seven unattended campfires found across the Grampians region in the last two weeks, Forest Fire Management Victoria are reminding visitors to follow campfire safety rules to make sure the bush is healthy and safe for everyone to enjoy.”

Any fires that start this weekend could spread quickly, so people should monitor the conditions and use the VicEmergency app and listen to local emergency radio stations in case of bushfire, storms or flooding.

To find out what you can and can’t do with outdoor fires and fuel-powered equipment during the declared Fire Danger Period and on days of Total Fire Ban, go to bit.ly/3u5SgEN